QUOTER

What are you? A quoter, or a quotee? Are other people quoting you? Or are you quoting other people? If you are being quoted, you are the quoter. If you are quoting other people you are the quotee (or mildly put, plagiarist).

As I think of all the great people in the world, they all had one thing in common. They were great quoters. They had something relevant and extraordinary to tell others. These others, (the quotees), went enthusiastically out to quote the quoter to others. The people in turn did the same thing. Wars were fought. Countries were revolutionized. Souls went to heaven. I think the greatest thing was that souls went to heaven. That happens when the Quoter is God. He spoke to us through His Word, Through His Prophets, and through His Son. We quote Him enthusiastically, and in the process see lives transformed. He is the only one that is really worth quoting.

I had a friend come down to Nicaragua who likes to use really big words. Honestly, half the time I didn’t even understand what he was saying. I noticed that he had a Thesaurus next to his bed, right next to his Bible. He studies words. He has a LOT of original thoughts. He helps people see God in a different way and in a different light. He expresses God through thought provoking words and expressions. Proverbs 12 tells us God’s viewpoint on someone like this. God said, the intelligent like to learn, the stupid like their ignorance. We should always look for and improved new ways to tell others about God’s love.

That’s the thing about Christianity. Many teachers are just plagiarists As long as Jesus has been around His words and His truth has never changed. However, you would think that because He is alive, and His Word is alive, teaching would always be different, because everyone has their own personal relationship with God. They shouldn’t be telling you what someone said about God. They should be speaking from their own point of reference about God. The Truths will never change, but we should, as quotees, ALL have a different perspective. We quote the same Quoter, but the point of reference should be always different.., That is to say, IF we really do have a relationship with Him. Listening to canned sermons is like trying to drink coffee when you are at the bottom of the cup, full of grinds. I like to drink fresh, scolding hot coffee from the ground free top. I hate the mud at the bottom. It has been siting there forever. No flavor and a mouth full of sand if you do try to swallow it. When people teach other quotees quotes, they are not quoting from the Quoter, but quoting from just another quote, and the cycle goes on for infinity. Their intentions are good but there is no flavor. That makes it unpleasant. When we teach children, we need to be quoters of the Quoter, not of the quotees. Kids get bored often in church. Not because they aren’t interested, but because they have heard everything we say, about a hundred times before.

What works for American Kindergartner doesn’t work for five year old children living in a garbage dump. That is why prayer, AND thought are so critical when preparing people about the Lord. We need to say things that impact lives. Sometimes you don’t get a chance to prepare, but your heart should be so full of the Lord that He will guide you in those situations. In planning, however, We (me included) tend to just look for material that will cover a certain space of time, not cover the range of issues and problems that need to be addressed. If we seek God, He will show us the needs that need to be covered.

So why when people prepare to preach, or teach, do they read what other people had preached or taught *ie commentaries*? I think the problem is it is too easy to read what someone else said. That might make you a scholar, but I doubt it will impact any lives. We are here to impact other people’s lives with our words, actions and deeds. All of which come from our relationship with God, and our spending time with Him and His Word. When we do that, we have something relevant to say.

Mostly with kids though,, you have the mercy of a LOW BAR to be measured by. IF you are available, and willing, God will show you EXACTLY what to do, ,as in our spontaneous YWAM dance with the kids today. Man this YWAM team is a dream come true. God bless them. These kids are IMPACTED and quoting us quotees as we quote the Lord.